Boston, Rhode Island, Milford to New York

Thursday 20 to Tuesday 25 August

It was a long 6½ hour drive from Québec to Boston Massachusetts, through Vermont and New Hampshire, on the last leg of our west-east journey.

After weeks of dry and sometimes sultry weather, Boston turned on rain for us. Not just rain, but massive downpours.

After the rain stopped it was a late start. We took the underground, after a little help on what ticket to buy.

We skirted rain for the rest of the day, but managed the ‘must do’, substantial Freedom Trail, following the red brick line through the city streets, meandering through Little Italy, taking shelter from a deluge at the Haymarket Square Fruit Market and across the Charleston Bridge to the grand finale at the Bunker Hill Monument.

The Freedom Trail tells the history of first pioneers to the new land in the 18th century and the battles they had to claim their independence from the British. Of course the Boston Tea Party was a part of it, but there were other events that are portrayed on the trail such as the Boston Massacre, Faneuil Hall where Americans first protested against the Sugar Act and the Stamp Act in 1764 and the Battle of Bunker Hill.

We returned to Little Italy for an authentic American/Italian meal and braved the underground back to our hotel.

We finished our visit to Boston with coffee in Harvard Square and a drive around MIT. Both universities are close to the Charles River, connected by green space with walking and cycling tracks along the river.  It looks a lovely city to live and study in.

We left Boston and drove through the playground of the rich and famous on Rhode Island. The ‘Ten Mile Drive’ passes some beautiful houses on Bellevue Avenue, some built in the 17th and 18th centuries, and mostly hidden by tall fences and strategically planted trees. The drive continues on to the rocky side of the island where mansions are set amongst rock faces and sit alone.

Our last stop before New York City was at Milford in Connecticut. Our hotel was out of the way and the whole area seemed to be stretched out between the freeway and the coast, but it is within a 90 minute drive of New York City.

We took the opportunity to catch up on some paper work and some forward bookings.

On Sunday evening we found the delightful Stonebridge pub, with a decent range of draft beers and lively music. Our last night on the road in the USA was very pleasant.

Next morning we drove into New York, the end of the 7799 kilometre drive from Seattle. Evan and Stephanie were waiting to greet us in their new apartment in West Harlem.